Italian immigrant and artist Francesco Bove, 62, was so badly injured that a priest read him is last rites, according to reports - but he miraculously survived.

"I think I'm going to die," Bove told the priest, his son told CNN. "But the priest made him promise that he will fight until the end."

Bove was walking to church in the Bronx on Friday when the dogs attacked. The NYPD said that Bove and the dog's owner exchanged words before the animals pounced.

Bove is also a marble mason and was going to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church to inspect the marble in case it needs some sprucing because church parisioners are hoping Pope Francis pays a visit during his trip to New York City next week.

The victim’s son, Anthony, told CNN: "My father feels terrible that the dogs are probably going to be put to sleep.”

“The pit bull is not an inherently evil dog. But ... these pit bulls might have been trained as guard or attack dogs. He remembers the dogs licking his blood off the ground. They wanted to finish the job. That's very disturbing to him."